As the dark days of the long winter begin to ease, the warm weather gives us a good reason to get outdoors and garden. And perhaps, more importantly, to clean your grow rooms.
Spring cleaning is a deep cleaning tradition that usually starts on March 20th, the beginning of spring. It is the ideal time when do you start spring cleaning.
If you don’t have time to clean in March/April, the rest of the following May is still an ideal time for the cleaning process.
If you have the desire, it is never too late to pursue anything. But do you not know how to start spring cleaning?
There’s one spring cleaning tip you should take advantage of, it’s this: start only the projects you have time to complete.
Breaking down the big task into smaller pieces.
Let’s start with the grow room or cannabis grow tent. Please take this grow room cleaning checklist.
Why Should You Clean A Cannabis Grow Room?
A clean cannabis grow room is essential for healthy plants, maximum yield, an ideal environment, safety, and professional results.
Some growers, however, don’t pay as much attention to this problem.
They may think that there must be little dust left indoors when growing indoors. There is no need to clean it once a year, or after harvest.
If you don’t clean your space regularly, some pathogens can build up and begin to affect your plants.
The longer you wait to clean, the more difficult it will be to clean.
- Prevent pests and diseases: A clean grow room helps prevent the accumulation of pathogens and keeps pests and diseases away. For example, mildew, downy mildew, spider mites, aphids, grow room bugs in soil, etc. like to thrive in an unclean, cluttered environment.
- Affects plant growth: Cluttered and unclean grow rooms restrict airflow and light penetration, preventing plant growth.
- Maintain ideal climatic conditions: A neat and organized grow room makes it easier to maintain ideal temperature, humidity, ventilation and lighting conditions for your cannabis plants.
- Prevent environmental contamination: Unclean tools, spilled soil, standing water, etc. can harbor contaminants that can wreak havoc in the grow room.
- For professional operations: If your goal is to grow cannabis professionally, you certainly don’t want inefficient production. A clean and organized grow room can increase efficiency and simplify maintenance and management.
- For safety: Tripping hazards, unstable equipment, tangled cords and other messes can lead to injuries for those working in the grow room.
Cleaning the cannabis grow room and cleaning grow tent is similar. And let’s learn the steps to clean the grow room.
How to Clean A Grow Room?
To make the most of your spring cleaning, focus on two areas: tasks that make your life easier throughout the year and deep cleaning areas that are often forgotten.
Keeping your grow room or grow tent clean and organized should be a top priority for any cannabis grower. This is the reason why spring cleaning is important.
Preparing for Cleaning
- Remove Your Cannabis Plants. Remove all the plants from the grow room. You can put them in a separate clone room. You will also need to remove pots, trays and plant-related items.
- Turn Off All Equipment. Turning off your plant grow lights, fans, heaters, air conditioners, humidifiers, etc. is the most important step to take before cleaning.
- Exhaust the Air. Open windows and use exhaust fans to ventilate the grow room well.
- Wear Appropriate Protective Equipment. Gloves, masks and goggles are essential tools for cleaning.
Clean the Room and All Equipment
The grow cleaning products are ready, and let’s start the cleaning process. Follow my steps step by step.
- Empty and flush the reservoir. If you have a hydroponic system for solution culture or a reservoir for a humidifier, it must be emptied during a major cleaning. Rinse them out with a sterile solution to remove any algae or buildup. We hope this will help you solve how to get rid of mold in hydroponics. Then wait for them to air dry completely.
- Clean the ceiling. Use a sturdy ladder that can support your weight to safely reach the ceiling. Use a soft bristle broom or microfiber cloth to remove dust, cobwebs or debris from the ceiling.
- Remove debris. Use a vacuum to remove any loose leaves, dust or other debris from vents, fans, LED plant lights, etc.
- Wipe down the equipment. Vacuuming may not be a one-step process; you will also need to use a damp cloth for a second cleaning. Use a damp cloth to remove any remaining dust and debris from the equipment, then wipe again with a dry-cleaning cloth.
- Disinfect tools and supplies. You can use isopropyl alcohol to wipe down tools such as trimmers and breeding domes. Large items such as tables, shelves and trays need to be disinfected. Let them air dry completely.
- Clean the floor and walls. Depending on the steps down, the floor in the grow room may be full of debris at this point. Mop, sweep, and wipe floors and walls with a multi-surface cleaner, degreaser, and hot water. Please pay attention to the corners. For stubborn stains, mold or mildew, use a grow room disinfectant such as diluted bleach, then rinse thoroughly with water.
- Natural air drying of the grow chamber: Allow the grow chamber to dry completely before reassembly.
- Clean the tent. Put some cleaner or soap in warm water. You can use a soft cloth or sponge to clean the walls, ceiling and floor of the tent. Finally, rinse the tent with water and dry the surface with a clean towel.
- Let the tent air dry. Allow the tent to dry completely before reassembly. Do not use heaters or dryers as high temperatures can damage tent materials.
How to Clean the Air Filtration System
A clean air filtration system is the most important part of cleaning the cannabis cultivation environment.
- Remove the air filter. This may require unlocking the clips, unscrewing the bolts, or prying the filter out of the slot.
- Vacuum the air inlet and grille to remove large dust and debris.
- Take the air filter outside and tap and brush the dust and dirt off the filter.
- Rinse the washable filters with water to dissolve grease and grime. Allow them to air dry completely.
- Reassemble all components with a clean and dry filter and allow the system to run for a period of time before turning on the lights. The goal is to remove any residual cleaning solution or disinfection fumes.
Turn on the system and feel the purified airflow. Take a deep breath and smile gloatingly at a job well done. You cleaning champion! The best grow room cleaner!
Final Check
Ensure that all areas, including corners and crevices, are cleaned and disinfected.
Before reassembling the tent, inspect the material for tears or holes. If available, you can repair them with tape or a repair kit.
If you find any worn or damaged equipment, replace it immediately. Problems can occur with this material, such as inconsistencies in temperature or humidity, which can affect plant growth.
Check that all equipment has been cleaned and is operating properly. Once everything is clean and dry, hang your grow lights, fans, humidifiers, air conditioners, etc., and restart all equipment that is turned off.
Preparing for the Next Planting
Introduce new or treated soil, nutrients, planting pots and trays.
Are you looking to replace your traditional HPS plant lights with LED grow lights? I’m sure you already understand the difference between LED and HPS. Next, you also need to understand how to choose LED plant lights.
You may be concerned about the installation cost of replacing the fixture, the AUXGROW GT05 is a direct replacement for the HPS light in its original location. 1:1 means that you can remove your HPS fixture and hang the LED plant light in the original location.
Set the required lighting, temperature, humidity and ventilation conditions.
If conditions are optimal, you can introduce new plants to start the next growth cycle.
How to Maintain A Clean Grow Room?
Develop a regular cleaning schedule to maintain a clean and healthy grow room. After all, a clean and healthy growing environment plays a key role in the growth of your plants.
Implement proper hygiene practices by washing hands and wearing clean clothes before entering the grow room.
Regularly inspect and clean the lighting system and ventilation system of the grow room to prevent the accumulation of contaminants. We have also previously mentioned the need for regular cleaning of the plant lights and how to clean the LED grow lights.
This is to avoid the accumulation of dust that can reduce the light efficiency of the grow light and its life cycle.
After each harvest comes a thorough disinfection and cleaning of the room.
Continuous monitoring and preventive measures help avoid pest or mold infestations.
Summary
We hope you have learned why and how it is important to clean your implant room.
Prevention is better than cure. Regular cleaning is the least time-consuming.
Deep cleaning your grow room or tent can take a day or more. While the work can be exhausting more often than not, cutting corners is bad for your plants.
Trace amounts of bacteria left in the tent may adversely affect the final yield.
The extra effort required to maintain a clean environment for your plants is well worth it.
If you’re looking to improve your plant growing setup with LED plant lights after your spring cleaning, feel free to get in touch with AUXGROW. We would be happy to communicate with you and offer support for your planting needs.
Jayes
Como gerente de marketing digital da AUXGROW, Jayes combina paixão por sistemas hidropônicos e experiência em luzes LED de cultivo. Com experiência prática e profundo conhecimento, Jayes guia você pelo mundo do cultivo sustentável.
